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Camp Turk

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Happy Thanksgiving to all Brethren and their families! It is hard to believe that the Holiday season is upon us already.

The Official visits are winding down. Marathon will hold theirs on November 6th and Homer will have theirs on November 13th. The Brothers of the District are doing well with the opening and closing of their Lodges. RW Charles Dellow and I have noticed that the Brothers know the ritual, they just need to slow down in their presentation.

Degrees are going on throughout the District. The Lodges that have 3 or more practices are having great Degrees. Practice makes perfect my Brothers and that certainly shows the night of the Degree. Knowing the candidates names, floor work and ritual are key to a successful Degree. Please call RW Dellow or myself and we would be glad to help you prepare.

We will be conducting the Masonic Development Course on November 29th and January 31st. Dinner starts at 6:00 p.m. and classes start at 6:30 p.m. and will be completed by 8:30 p.m. Please call me at 607-597-9309 at email me at cbrooks [at] drydenbank [dot] com if you wish to attend. We would love to have a great turnout!

As always, RW Dellow and I will be around the District to help our Brothers anyway we can.

The newly formed Worshipfuls and Wardens Association of the Cortland-Madison District met for the first time last evening to adopt by-laws and elect officers for the remainder of the current Masonic year. The newly elected officers are as follows:

Copies of the finalized by-laws will be distributed to the Secretary of each Lodge and on The Grapevine. The next scheduled meeting of the Worshipfuls and Wardens Association will be on October 30, 2017 at Homer Lodge. Dinner will be served at 6:30 PM and the meeting will begin at 7:30 PM.

Our Lodge year is now in full swing. We have had Official Visits at DeRuyter Lodge and Otselic Valley Lodge in the month of September. October is just as busy with Official Visits at Cortlandville Lodge on October 3rd, Hamilton Lodge on October 9th and TriValley Lodge on October 19th. RW Charles Dellow and I will be working with these Lodges in preparation for these visits.

The Grand Lecturer’s Convention will be held on October 27th at Hamilton Lodge #120. Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. and the Convention will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. The program for the evening will be the proposed Ritual change for opening and closing the Lodge meeting on the First and Second Degree.

Degree work is being done around the District. Please attend as many as possible. If you would like RW Dellow or me to attend your Lodge practices just give us a call and we would be happy to help. I can be reached at 607-597-9309 or by email at cbrooks [at] drydenbank [dot] com

RW Charlie Dellow and I will be attending Lodge meetings this fall working with Officers in preparation for RW Scott A Cary’s Official visits. The first Official visit will be at DeRuyter Lodge on September 14, 2017.

The Grand Lecturer’s Convention will be held at Hamilton Lodge #120 on October 27, 2017. Dinner will be served at 6:30 pm and the convention will start promptly at 7:30 pm. The program for the evening will be the newly proposed Ritual for opening and closing the Lodge on the First and Second Degrees.

Degree work continues throughout the District this fall. Please attend these Degrees if you can. Full sidelines make a great impression on a new Brother going through the Degrees.

The District is always in need of Brothers who can do the work of historical lectures, questions and answers, whys and wherefores, middle chamber lecture, craftsman, ruffians and kings in the Hiramic legend. Many hands make light work.

As always, RW Charlie Dellow and I will be about the District and are willing to help in any way we can. I can be reached at 607-597-9309 or by email at cbrooks [at] drydenbank [dot] com.

I hope everyone enjoyed Grand Lodge. It’s wonderful to experience the annual meeting of Mason’s in New York City!

RW Charles Dellow and I would like to thank all of the Lodges in the Cortland Madison District for their hard work and dedication in performing the ritual of the craft. Every Lodge in the District put on a Degree this year. Practice is the key ingredient to achieving a successful Degree. It is important that all officers and conductors attend every practice. Not all of the newly raised Brothers who are taking part in the ritual know the floor work or what to do or say if they are conducting a candidate. Remember Brothers, practice makes perfect!

RW Dellow and I have had a memorable year as Assistant Grand Lecturers of the Cortland Madison District and we would like to thank every Lodge very much! We continue to be available to help with any of your ritual needs.

The month of April is upon us and our Masonic year is winding down. Degree work within our District continues and if you are able to attend any of these Degrees, I am sure the candidates would greatly appreciate it.

RW Dellow and I have enjoyed working with the different Lodges in the District. Many new Mason’s have taken on major roles in the Degrees and have done outstanding work. It’s important to remember to take your time in presenting the ritual. It means more to the candidate and the Brothers present and gives the piece of Ritual more meaning. It’s a great feeling for the Brothers presenting the work to hear from long standing Masons that they have done a great job.
As always, RW Charles Dellow and I are a phone call away and are willing to help any way we can.

The month of March is upon us. The days are becoming longer, Daylight Savings starts and the first day of Spring arrives. It will not be long before it is summertime again!

R.W. Dave Walter from Marathon Lodge will be the guest speaker at our next Fellowcraft Club meeting which will be held at the Cortlandville Lodge on March 28th at 7:30 pm. R.W. Walter will give a presentation on Camp Turk, followed by a brief presentation by R.W. Charles Dellow and myself on Masonic etiquette while in the Lodge room. Refreshments will follow. We have cordially invited our Brothers from the Cayuga Tompkins District to join us for the evening. Please try to attend for a great night of education and fellowship!

Degree work continues to be done throughout the District. If your Lodge is doing a Degree, please call R.W. Dellow or me and we would be happy to help you prepare. Watch the Grapevine for upcoming Degrees and please remember to post your’s so as many Brothers can attend as possible.

Degree work is being done all around the District. Please attend these meetings if you are able. It’s always nice to have the sidelines full for the Brothers going through the Degrees.

Please be sure that all Degree work is posted on the Grapevine. We feel it will greatly increase attendance.

Outstanding work is being done and all of the practice meetings result in high quality work the night of the Degree. R.W. Charles Dellow and I can not stress enough how important it is to have at least 3 practice sessions before the Degree night. These practices should include the Marshall and Conductor practicing the floor work as well. The memorization work has been exceptional, we just need to work on slowing down the presentation.

As always, R.W. Charles Dellow and I will be around the District to help when needed.

The RW Charles Dellow and I would like to wish all Brethren and their families a wonderful holiday season!

The RW Scott A. Cary has completed his Official visits for the year. All of the Lodges in our District worked very hard to prepare for his visits with outstanding Ritual. RW Dellow and I would like to thank each Lodge for their hard work!

Many Lodges have Degree work on their schedules after the first of the year. Please call RW Dellow or myself so that we can help you prepare for the Degree you are doing and witness the Degree being done.

Brothers – I will keep this short as I am only allowed one manifesto a year, and that was last month- On October 8th I was invited to Cazenovia lodge # 616 for their new lodge open house and a sixty year apron and pin presentation to Brother Harry Spoor. I was honored to be asked to participate in a major milestone of a Brothers life- the simple act of securing a sixty year pin to a brothers collar and shaking his hand in congratulations left me in awe and in deep thought; how many Brothers in our small district have worn their aprons for fifty, sixty or seventy years ? How many in our craft worldwide ? Brothers who are humble, respectful and decent men, quietly leading their lives, and setting an example for generations of brothers to follow in the lodge; and in the world. To R.W. Jim Wightman-Harry Spoor and the Brothers of Cazenovia #616, thank you for the invitation, the hospitality and great conversation.

In my eyes, the best part masonry is not ritual or pomp and circumstance-it is traveling with Brothers- talking over coffee, meeting the families and laughing over the mishaps on the road -or in life- like trying to find a place to eat called the ” Bear Swamp Diner” on a trip to Jersey, and wondering if the techno geek who invented G.P.S. technology is playing a cruel trick on your tired body and rumbling stomach- left turn-right turn- Bridge out -you can’t get there from here-sorry; days like this, spent with brothers I consider family are the best.